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This may be one way to separate himself from the pack, and while it may have little to do with the day to day workings of Attorney General, it’s not the first time a candidate for the job has spoken up on a broad range of issues.

Sean Coffey, one of five Democratic candidates who will fight it out in next month’s AG primary, has come out for the kind of property tax cap being pushed by Democratic gubernatorial front runner Andrew Cuomo.

Making the announcement in Syracuse, Coffey, a private litigator, said he’s the only one so far to embrace the 2 percent cap.
“Coffey has endorsed Andrew Cuomo’s proposal that any increase in property taxes be capped at 2%,” reads the release.

This isn’t the first time an AG candidate has spoken highly of his/her predecessor in office.
While the two have famously feuded, Cuomo in 2006, when he was running to replace Eliot Spitzer as AG, sent out mailers about his desire to fill Spitzer’s “very big shoes.”

From this standpoint, it make sense for a candidate to do a bit of coat-tailing off a popular incumbent, such as Cuomo who, of course, won the AG’s race almost four years ago.

Also, the AG Democratic field is crowded and polls show that Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice is a runaway favorite over Coffey, as well as lawmakers Eric Schneiderman and Richard Brodsky and former Insurance Commissioner (under Spitzer) Eric Dinallo. The top Democrat will square off against Staten Island DA Dan Donovan.

Here is Coffey’s release on the tax cap plan:

Democratic Attorney General candidate Sean Coffey (www.coffey2010.com ) told Syracuse small business owners on Wednesday that he was proud to be the only AG contender to advocate for a property tax cap as a way to bring much needed economic relief to the region. Skyrocketing property taxes have stripped the economy of jobs and put additional strain on working class families and retirees on fixed income as they struggle to make ends meet amidst the toughest economy in decades.
Coffey has endorsed Andrew Cuomo’s proposal that any increase in property taxes be capped at 2%. New York State already has the highest local taxes in America – 79% above the national average. And when property taxes are measured as a percentage of home value, Upstate New York is particularly hard hit with sixteen counties among the twenty-five most taxed counties in the nation. If the comparison is in absolute dollars, the amount of property taxes for an average household in Westchester, Nassau and Rockland counties are among the five highest in the nation (1st, 3rd & 5th).
Sean Coffey is the only candidate to use the bully pulpit of his campaign to drive the political debate in favor of a property tax cap. State Sen. Eric Schneiderman recently voted against a proposed law to cap property taxes at 4% per year in growth or 120% of the inflation rate. He was one of only seven senators to do so – against an overwhelming bipartisan majority. Coffey has called on the Assembly to pass the bill – and Assemblyman Richard Brodsky to vote in favor. Other candidates have failed to make any strong public statements regarding the cap.

“For long too, Albany politicians have let property taxes spiral out of control. The time has come to enact a real cap that will protect New York residents from this unfair crushing financial burden,” Coffey said. “Those who seek elected office have a powerful bully pulpit – and I intend to continue using mine to help create a new culture in Albany that is accountable and responsive to the voters’ concerns. First and foremost, New Yorkers need a property tax cap.”

Coffey continued, “I am the only candidate for Attorney General who stands shoulder-to-shoulder with New York homeowners and small business owners on this critical issue. Finding innovative new ways to control the cost of living in New York would be among my top priorities as the next Attorney General.”

Coffey believes that there is ample opportunity to reduce the cost of government – and thus leave tax increases as a final alternative – by empowering the Attorney General to pursue public corruption in Albany without fear or favor. He is the only candidate to offer ideas to eliminate what he calls the ‘public corruption tax’ – the additional taxes New Yorkers pay for back room deals and wasteful spending promoted by a dysfunctional and often corrupt state government.

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